PHP Contact Center (PCC) or Helpdesk
Script - Installation Guide

Thank you for your interest in using the script. Please follow
the steps given below to complete installation of the application.

You must have received the compressed folder (ZIP file) with
the scripts and other files for the contact center (PCC). You have
opened this installation guide after uncompressing (unzipping) the
contents of the ZIP file. Instructions given below will guide you with
the rest of the installation.

Note that this installation guide is written for typical
installation via cPanel - a very popular and commonly used control
panel on unix or linux-based servers. If you are using any different
control panel, corresponding modifications will be required to the
installation steps. If you need help with any specific problem you are
facing, please feel free to contact us using the contact link on this
page.

Database setup:

Using phpMyAdmin or any regular database wizard, create a
database for your application. Once the database is created, create a
user and make sure the user has the required access to the database.
Use the database definition file (this will be a file with the .sql extension) that came with your
compressed folder to create the database definition. Note down the
database server, database name and database user and it's password
which will be required later in the installation process to update in
the configuration file.

Configuration
file:

Before the application can be used, the configuration file
must be updated with appropriate variables and their values. For this,
open the 'pcc_config.php' file in any text editor and update the
variables that are mentioned. Each variable has a clear explanation
with it to tell you what it is meant for and what is it's purpose.
Carefully update these variables as they will control the behaviour of
your application.

Upload files

Create
a folder on your web-server where you would like to install the
application. Make sure this matches with the information you entered in
the config file in the step above. For the sake of this installation
guide, let us assume that you have created a folder by the name 'pcc'
in the web-root directory on your server. Upload all the files (except
of installation guide and database definition file) in this folder
using your regular FTP application. Your basic setup is now complete.

File permissions

This is a critical step for the Chat functionality to work properly. You must set the file persmissions of the 'chattxt' folder to unix '0666'. In other words, the application should be able to write to this folder. This is the folder where all the chat sessions are saved. If you do not change the permissions, the chat functionality will not work.

Accessing the
application and one-time setup:

Once your application files are uploaded to the directory of
your choice, point your browser to the same directory on your site to
access the application. This will be something like -
'http://www.yourdomainname.com/pcc/' assuming you have uploaded the
files in the directory by the name 'pcc'. On the first screen, you
should see three links - Join, Login and Retrieve Passcode. Note that
the application is built to work with multiple websites so that you
don't have to set up the application separately for each and every site
you own. Everytime you create a new site, you can setup a new contact
center or helpdesk for that site and start using it.

On the right side of the first screen, you will see an empty
drop-down and a button that says 'Go to contact center'. This drop box
is empty in the beginning because you have not yet setup any helpdesk
in the application (assuming this is the first time you are accessing
the application).

Setting up the
first helpdesk or contact center:

Let us assume that you have a website for which you want to setup the
helpdesk or contact center. This section will explain to you how to set
it up in the contact center application so that you can start providing
support to your users. Click on the 'join' button on the main screen.
This will take you to the screen that will ask you to select a username
and an email address. Enter a username of choice and your valid email
address. This will be the email where you will get your passcode that
will be required to update the setup regarding this contact center in
future. Click on 'Send activation code' button. You will receive a
confirmation mail with the activation code. Keep this
activation code/passcode safe.

Once you have received the passcode, go back to the main page
of the application and click on 'Login' link. Enter your email and the
passcode. Once you successfully log in, you will see the webmaster
control panel. First link is for you to be able to add a site. This is
the site for which you are creating the contact center. Enter your
username, email that you used to create the webmaster account, passcode
that was sent to you in email and doma enter a correct domain name (do
not include http part). Once you click the submit button and see the
success message, your first site is now successfully added to the
application.

Linking the new
contact center/helpdesk to your site:

You must be thinking by now that the site is added but what
about the helpdesk URL? How and where can the users enter the support
tickets or help requests? Read carefully. This is the last peice but
very critical one. Go to the mail screen of the application. Now you
should see the recently added domain in the drop down list on the right
side table on the main screen. Select the domain you recently added in
the dropdown and click on the button - 'Go to contact center'. You will
see a link that says 'Create a new support ticket'. Click on that link
and you should see a form where your users can submit a support
request. Copy the entire URL from the address bar of the browser. This
will be something of this nature -
http://www.yourdomain.com/pcc/index.php?a=createticket&siteid=yourdomainname.com.
This is the link you should direct users of your site to whenever they
want to contact you or raise a support ticket!

You have successfully setup your helpdesk and remaining
operations are self-explanatory from this point on. BEST LUCK!